Interview with Poet & Author Chimdi Owhorji

EA: Creatively Creative returns with another international interview. Today, the author spotlight shines from Nigeria on poet/author Chimdi Owhorji.

EA: When did you start writing poetry?

CO: Well, I will not describe myself as an accidental poet. Sometime in 2013, Annice Morris, commented on my write up on Facebook. I replied to her comment. Then she asked me, “Are you a poet or a writer?” I told her, “I'm neither of them.” She then said, “Your writings are poetic.” I replied to her, “I'm only a man that loves to express himself in beautiful ways.” She sought my consent to add me to her Facebook poetry group, HIPS N LOOSE LIPS, I obliged, and joined my first Facebook group.
In HIPS N LOOSE LIPS, I read intriguing poems of prolific poets. I became intimidated by their oratory manipulation of words. My ink couldn't bleed, I only read and tried understanding how they got inspired to spill beautiful lines on paper. I always comment to compliment any poem that captivates my heart. My comment generates its own likes, and gets complimented too. Yet my pen was still nervous to bleed ink beneath its exterior confidence to comment on other poets pieces. I was encouraged to write by other poets, but self-doubt had a better part of me.
A day came when a picture was posted on the group's timeline, and every poet was challenged to write a poem according to your interpretation of the picture. I looked at the picture with serious eyes, and the picture spoke to me, "just write." My pen bled my first poem. And that was how poetry found me.

EA: What is the concept of Anchor of My Heart?

CO: Anchor Of My Heart is a collection of poetry collaborations between Tanya Deloatch and Chimdi Owhorji. The concept is to bring to life the awesome and reflective creativity within two beautiful souls that derives inspiration from different places, but intertwine and blend perfectly to weave a poetic flow, captured from deep within the ink wells of our collective souls.

EA: Does writing poetry come easy to you?

CO: When I was in secondary school, in as much as I love poetry, I wasn't good in writing it. It was always difficult to write a good poem whenever the literature teacher asked us to do so. However, when I joined Facebook and start reading poems of amazing poets, I got inspired to write my first poem. It actually came naturally to me, I was in love with my best friend, then in the university. I wrote that poem for her, and it really turned out great. Since then, I write on whatever comes to mind. Once my stubborn muse whispers to my soul, my bleeding ink spills beautiful lines on paper. Now, poetry comes to me like flame and I flow with the rhythm.

EA: Who are your biggest influences?

CO: Muhammad Ali is my biggest influence in life. As a little boy his bicycle was stolen and he vowed to beat up the person that stole his bicycle. His quest to find his bicycle landed him in the boxing gym. His dedication to the gym prepared him mentally and physically transformed him into the world heavyweight champion. He became the ''Greatest Of All Time.'' "The People's Champ'' as he was fondly called became a global influence, both in the ring of fighting and outside the ring. Ali was an outspoken civil rights advocate who embraced black pride and paid the iron prize. He was described as an arrogant black Muslim, and refused the draft into the U.S. army. He criticized the U.S. invasion of Vietnam and challenged the government of the day. He inspired same sentiment on other black people. After retiring from boxing, Ali channelled all his energy to preach  peace in the world. He was the only American who met with the dreaded Saddam Hussein, then Iraqi leader to negotiate for the release of American hostages, during the Gulf War of 1990. Ali was also honoured to serve as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. And in 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He recognized his gift of strength as a blessing from God to touch humanity in positive ways, and he used his fame to change the world in five ways, through:

SPORTS
RELIGION
CIVIL RIGHTS
HUMANITARIAN
PARKINSON'S DISEASE ADVOCACY

No single individual has ever achieved such a feat before him and even after him.

I so much love his poetic response when he was asked, ''What would you like people to think about you when you are gone?''
“I'd Like for them to say.
He took a Few Cups of Love.
He Took One Tablespoon of Patience,
One Teaspoon of Generosity,
One Pint of Kindness;
He Took One Quart of Laughter,
One Pinch of Concern
And then he mixed Willingness
With Happiness.
He Added lots of Faith,
And He Stirred it up Well.
Then He Spread it over A span of
A Lifetime, And he Served it to
Each and Every Deserving
Person He Met.” - Muhammad Ali

“HIS UNIQUE ABILITY TO SUMMON EXTRAORDINARY STRENGTH AND COURAGE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY, TO NAVIGATE THE STORM AND NEVER LOSE HIS WAY. HE HAS SHOWN US THAT THROUGH UNDYING FAITH AND STEADFAST LOVE, EACH OF US CAN MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE. HE IS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE CHAMP.”
— President Barack Obama

There is a bit of Ali in me. As a little boy who came from the village, to the city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, at the age of 6. I neither spoke nor understood English. My determination to improve myself was later rewarded when I finally learned how to read and write at 14. Since then, I've broadened my horizons and perspective to life by acquiring knowledge - knowledge that'll arm me to deal with the world around me. I'm blessed with the wonderful combination of the gift to make ink bleed and the ability to share it. I use this wonderful gift to touch souls without touching, to inspire the mind to greatness and to seduce happiness to bow at our feet. The impact of my positive vibration stretches across the Atlantic, down to the centre of the world.

''I want people to think about me when I'm gone,
As a man who tried to love all,
As a man who spread joy and happiness like rumours,
As a man who tried to feed the poor,
Wherever my tear dropped a food tree grew there
And provided food for the hungry.''

EA: Aside from poetry, will you or do you write novels as well?

CO: I do write short stories, but I'm considering expanding my short stories into novels.

EA: What is your main aspiration as a poet?

CO: My main aspiration as a poet is to birth poetry with life, poetry with passion, poetry with purpose, poetry with global bridge, poetry with heart connection, poetry with romance, poetry with morality. My kind of poetry intends to create a common ground for like minds to discover our greatness and to comfort  bleeding hearts and lonely souls, while penning down our hearts and bleeding out our pain. My aim in the poetry industry is to create a strong force that binds us together, and use poetry to express societal awareness and offer solutions to societal ills. I want to see poetry create a strong brotherhood with positive impact to dissolve impossibilities. Poetry is the reflection of everything around us, and should explore the human world, relationships, morality and spirituality.

Also my biggest aspiration in life is to get my work out to a global audience through multiple outlets and the live stage. And I'm doing it right now.

EA: What advice would you give to aspiring poets?

CO: Don't struggle to write, just allow your pen to direct your ink to bleed. But most importantly, learn to enjoy the free flow of words.

EA: Finally, tell readers why Anchor of My Heart is a must buy.

CO: Anchor Of My Heart is a must buy, because it's an amazing collection of poetry collaboration between Tanya Deloatch and Chimdi Owhorji. It's a blend of our beautiful flaws. It appreciates our unique differences while enriching our experiences from past mistakes and cuddles the strength in our weaknesses. Our written voice emboldens our hearts vibration to connect our souls as one peaceful entity, to live a diamond dream life in the creation of our poetic minds. The romantic aura of our poetic pen is seductive and sensual, like the flow of physical and emotional connection between two lovers. It's a real intense love that could be imagined in movies. You not only desire to read our feelings, but you feel the passion that we both have for poetry come alive.

Epilogue

I would describe this conversation with Chimdi as poetic. This man truly has a gift with words. I would like to thank Chimdi for taking the time to speak with me. I also would like to thank Tanya Deloatch for referring him to EA: Creatively Creative. Individuals like him-- and many others-- are the reason why I created this platform.

For more on Chimdi, and if you're interested in checking out Anchor of My Heart, you can visit his Amazon and Facebook pages in the hyperlinks below.

Amazon: Chimdi Owhorji
Facebook: Chimdi Owhorji